In light of the shrinking (and crowded) hunting opportunities for rifle hunters here in WA, I started applying for Arizona hunts 5-6 years ago with my buddies that live down there. This year, the bunch of us decided that we still weren't getting to hunt enough (all AZ rifle tags are by draw, and decent tags are hard to get), so we did an over-the-counter archery coues whitetail hunt down there in January. I hadn't hunted archery and didn't own a bow, so I just went along as the designated spotter for a whole bunch of spot and stalks. Pretty damn fun. Coues are one of the coolest (and hardest) critters to hunt. After having an awesome time down there, the bunch of us decided that (a) I needed to start hunting archery, and (b) WA and AZ still weren't allowing us to hunt enough, so we should start applying for hunts in other states to build bonus points and eventually get some additional tags.

Given its proximity to AZ we decided to apply in New Mexico in February. We figured that if we only applied for the primo tags, we'd only get drawn and have to pay the out of state fees every several years, and we'd get rewarded with some sweet hunts.

Fast forward to last week, when I get a $760 charge on my credit card and find out we've all drawn a ridiculous tag - late (rut) archery elk in Unit 16A of the Gila Wilderness. 1700+ applicants, 150 tags total, of which 15 are given each year to out-of-state hunters that aren't applying through a guide. We drew 3 of them.

Elation quickly turned to panic when the reality set in that (a) I was in for about $1500 in tag and travel expense, and (b) I still hadn't bought a bow and have no idea how to archery hunt!

So on Sunday I went down to the Sportsmans Warehouse in Federal Way and spent the bulk of my day in there picking the brains of the archery guys and shooting a bunch of bows in their shooting alley.

On Monday I went back and bought my bow - a 34" Ross - and decked it out with all the goodies. I tried the Ross alongside a BowTech Allegiance (among others) and liked the Ross better. Before I get hounded for not trying this bow or that bow, consider (a) there's not much in the way of bow shops near Seattle (e.g. the nearest Mathews dealers are in Everett and Puyallup), and (b) I've got a free week starting this weekend during which I could basically shoot everyday (and obviously I need the practice).

Needless to say, I'm absolutely stoked - I'm shooting and practicing my calling as much as I can, and generally trying to absorb as much info as I can knowing that I'm way behind.

I'll update this thread from time to time to let you all know how it goes. Hopefully I'll have some sweet pics at the end! If you guys have ever hunted elk in NM, let me know how it went.

All I have to say is WOW.... Hey you only live once, enjoy your hunt!!

The scarey thing about your tag is that the odds are about the same is drawing a decent bull tag anywhere in eastern Washington.

Hey Salty I know the feeling. I bought one raffle ticket to hunt the Valles Calderas Preserve in New Mexico and won!! I will be bow hunting Sept 9-13 on one of the most awesome places there is to elk hunt!! Never been before so looking for and info I can get my hands on. Sealice

Krijack - that's one of the main reasons I wanted to start archery hunting. The general rifle elk season is a joke with the spike only rules and the number of guys out there. And the bull tags are impossible to draw. At least with a bow, you can hunt big bulls over-the-counter in a number of units, and the permit draws for archery have much better odds than rifle (like 1:5 or 1:10).

Nice work Sealice! I've heard the Valles Caldera Preserve is sweet - I know those tags are ridiculously difficult to draw. If anyone's interested in checking out Sealice's unit, go to www.vallescaldera.gov.

Here's a quote from the site. "If you’re selected to hunt, you’ll have 3,000-6,000 acres to hunt alone or perhaps with another hunter. The terrain is pure beauty: vast grassy valleys dotted with elk, surrounded by forested mountainsides, all within a 12-mile by 12-mile volcanic caldera. These grounds are the calving and breeding grounds of much of the Jemez Mountain elk herd; estimates put the herd at 2,500 — 3,500 animals."

Are you going to get a guide? Or do you have some way of learning about the unit from up here?

I spent the last four days over in E. WA. and shot my bow for an hour or two each day. Got my pins set out to 60 yards. Had a great time - I can see why people say once you go archery, you never go back. Awfully nice to be able to shoot your weapon for hours and not beat the crap out of your shoulder. Now I just need to figure out a good place to shoot around here. Where do people shoot in/around Seattle?

Ross Bows are the [Bleeeeep!]! If I hadn't bought my
mathews switchback I would have picked up the
Ross cr331. Damn nice bow at 600.00 bones!
Chrome

Yeah, I really like the Ross. Of course, I don't have a lot of experience shooting a number of different bows, but this bow was pretty easy for me to just pick up and get comfortable with. My cousin shot the Ross and the Switchback XT back to back and wound up buying the Switchback. He thought the cam was a little smoother on the Switchback. I think buying one of the 'big 3' had something to do with his purchase as well.

Salty-
Big Three?
Are you talking bows? Are you getting dialed in tight with the ross? I can't wait for elk season!
Good Luck
Chrome

Hey Chrome - the 'big 3' reference was to Mathews, Hoyt and Bowtech. Seems those are the 'bows to have' these days.

I'm doing all I can to get dialed in with my Ross. I've set up a shooting alley from my driveway through my garage so I can shoot after work, then I try to get out on the weekends and shoot longer ranges. I'm headed to E. WA. this weekend to scout my Observatory hunt and get in a bunch of shooting. I haven't shot any broadheads yet, so I'm going to hit Sportsman's Warehouse on Friday to pick some up. I know they can shoot differently from field tips, so I need to get them dialed in.

Seriously, I feel like I'm cramming for a final exam that's 6 weeks away. Since I'm just getting into archery AND have never hunted elk in the rut, there's so much to learn! Between getting the bow dialed in, watching videos to learn rut strategy, practicing calls, getting all the equipment (still need to get a new pack, broadheads, quiver, camo, etc.), it feels like a full time job! Pretty fun job though, I suppose. Can't wait for September to get here.

Any of you guys have thoughts on the need/usefulness of decoys and scent-lok clothing? A couple things I'm considering, just wondering if they're worth the $$$.

Great tags you guys. I look fwd to hearing about both of your hunts.
I'm still a rifle guy but travel to ID every year with buds because we can hunt over the counter branch bulls with no crowds at all.
I do respect the bow thing though...you guys have to get close!
I'm going to NM to spot for a guy who drew a sheep tag in January. He lives there (Silver City) near the Gila. At this moment I can't remember where his sheep hunt is...now that I think about it it's not sheep it Oryx? at some missle base?
Anyway great luck with your hunts and I do look fwd to your reports and pics!

Seastrike - one of the guys I'm going to NM with had an oryx tag last year on the White Sands (?) Missile Base. That will be a killer hunt to tag along on. My understanding is that you can't enter the base beforehand, and they basically have an informational meeting for all the hunters then set you loose all at once. Will be a cool experience.

Salty
White Sands is the place. Should be cool.
The guy I'm going with taught me how to elk hunt effectively. He spent a ton of time showing me what to do and not do. I both owe him and want to spot for him on his hunt.
The place I hunt with him in ID doesn't hurt either...no people and plenty of elk and mulies.
My first year there (and first bull) we rode back up to the kill the next morning. I started to put together my Wyoming Saw to quarter the elk and he started laughing. He then pulled out a battery powered sawzall (sp?). Didn't take long to quarter that sucker.
All this on public forest and we only use the horses to bring the meat off the hill.
ps We may have one spot open this year if anyone is interested. Partners son just got shipped off to terrorist camp.

Well, here we go! My Observatory elk hunt starts on Friday. To the detriment of my fishing, I've been over three of the last five weekends scouting. I've found a few herds here and there and now feel like I've got some good 'go-to' areas. Heard my first bugles this weekend. That is one of the coolest things around! Can't wait to get back in there with the bow in my hands and chase those critters.

I'll hunt this weekend in Observatory, then come back to work for the week, then head down for my New Mexico elk hunt the following week. Things don't sound good in NM - it's rained like 50 straight days in our unit and the area is a total mess. One of my hunting partners tried to scout this weekend, but the road into our planned spot was under water. They found a ton of elk back in there a few weeks ago - would really suck if we couldn't get back in there.

I've been practicing with the bow quite a bit, and feel confident (at the range, at least) with my broadheads out to 50 yards. Of course, knowing that 'bull fever' will have a big effect at money time, I want to shoot much closer than that. I keep telling myself, 'aim small, miss small'. Just hope I get the opportunity.

Salty
Have a great hunt in NM! From what you said the other day you have learned a lot and had some good close encounters. Use those lessons on the NM hunt and I hope you connect. Just remember to BREATH while you are looking at that monster.

I don't know if it's still there or where you live if it's near, but there used to be a archery shop on 1st ave in Normandy park. Just between Burien & Des Moines. Good luck on yer hunt & take tons of pics.

That shop shut down a year or two ago. Their musuem was great.

Figures...unbelievable that there isn't a bow shop in a town this big.

Leaving for AZ tomorrow, then we drive over to NM on Monday...can't wait!!!

KNOFISH - I'm bad at taking pics, but I'll try to remember. I hear it's some awesome country down there. I see you're from my old stomping grounds. You probably buy fishing gear from my old man at Auburn Sports.

Figures that as soon as I leave town, it rains and the coho will be flooding in. Seastrike - try to stay out of jail so we can hit them when I get back.

I'll do my best. Go get em dude.
After we talked I remembered a bugle from last year at something like 25 yards. Talk about the hair standing up on the back of your neck.
You will have a great time.

Salty,

how was your new mexico hunt?

mountlake terrace there's a bow shop called the knock point. not sure if that helps you.
my buddy was in their the other day, said they were a nice group of guys, very helpful and they have 20yd shooting range

The hunt was unbelievable. I've been hunting as much as possible since I was 12, but that was easily my favorite hunt on several levels. I took some good pics, so I'll try to put together the whole story with pics over the weekend.

great, I have spent the last year in new mexico spending time with family, will be moving back to seattle in the spring. In the little time I have been down here i have spent a bit of time running around the Gila and it is an incredible place for chasing trophy elk. I only wished i had drawn an archery tag. I almost pulled the trigger for a private ranch guarenteed tag but the price was just a little more than I wanted to spend.

Joe

Well, I've finally got an evening to sit down and give my report. Work has been giving me the business!

Archery elk hunting is an incredible experience, and I was lucky enough to get eight days worth this year. As posted previously, I just got into archery this summer, and had never hunted elk anytime near the rut. Buying my bow in July, I basically had two months to learn to shoot and learn to elk hunt. I shot as much as I could, and by the end I could consistently hit a paper plate out to 60 yards. I felt pretty good about my shooting, but as I learned during the hunt, shooting a paper plate over flat, open ground and shooting elk on steep mountain slopes are very different things. I bought several cow calls and a bugle, and watched as many videos and read as many posts on hunting sights as I could, just trying to learn as much as possible about elk hunting. By the time the hunts rolled around, I felt good with my diaphragm calls (and my Hoochie Mama, of course), but wasn't very good with the bugle. Here's my daily report.

Friday, September 8, Observatory (Manastash and Umtanum units) between Ellensburg and Yakima. As posted previously, I got really lucky this year and drew an any elk tag in Washington and a 5-point minimum bull tag in New Mexico. Unfortunately, because I was taking a full week off work to hunt in NM, I could only hunt the opening weekend in WA. But I had scouted the area three of the five weekends prior to the hunt and had found a few different herds. The Sunday before the hunt, I found what sounded like a large herd in my unit - at least three bugling bulls, and countless cows mewing on all sides of me. Since the hunt was only 5 days away and these elk were in heavy cover, I figured I could go back in there and get right on the elk. I should have known better. I had to work opening morning, and by the time I got to the unit that evening, everything was quiet - not a single bugle or mew, and didn't find the elk in the spot I had left them. They couldn't have gone far...or did they? I had no idea where the elk were.

Saturday, September 9. Knowing there was water downhill from where I had previously found the elk, I hunted lower in the drainage Saturday morning. Busted two cows and stalked another hunter with a bugle, but that was about it. I still didn't know where the big herd had gone. I took the afternoon off (it was about 90 degrees out, and I'm sure the elk were bedded), then decided to hunt the top of the draining in the dense timber that evening. And that's when the fun began. I took a trail sidehill near the top of the drainage and it didn't take long to find the critters. Along the trail, I jumped a 5 point and a spike at about 80 yards, crossed a moving spike at about 30 yards, then after hearing rolling rocks and breaking branches, I got right in the middle of the herd at dusk. I could hear elk moving all around me, but couldn't actually see them in the thick timber and brush. Ultimately, I stalked a branched bull to within about 15 yards, to where I could hear his individual footsteps and his rack moving through the trees. But I had a huge shrub/tree between us and couldn't see him, and because it was quickly getting dark, I had to make a move and ultimately busted him without getting a shot. But at least I knew where they were. Lesson learned that night was that elk are loud creatures, and so long as you move slowly and keep the wind in your favor, you can move right in on those buggers even if you're rolling a few rocks or cracking a few twigs.

Sunday, September 10. I went right back to the same trail the following morning, getting in there before daylight. It didn't take long to get right back on the herd. Since this was my last morning to hunt in WA, and I desperately wanted to take an animal with my bow, I decided I'd take the first cow or bull that presented a good shot. Within the first 15 minutes of daylight, I had a cow move dowhill to my trail at about 25 yards. At full draw, the cow stopped broadside with a single branch covering her vitals. I held out for what felt like 5 minutes (probably much less than that, but sure felt like 5 minutes), I couldn't take the shaking at full draw any longer and had to let down. She caught the movement and bolted. So I just kept moving down the trail, and it didn't take long before I found another. I could see movement uphill ranged at about 40 yards. Knowing the direction the elk was moving, I found a narrow lane out in front and got set. The cow slowly moved into my lane, and I let one fly. The shot was a bit high, but I couldn't quite tell whether I hit her high in the back or whether it was a clean miss. I moved about 10 steps to my left to watch her move across the hillside, just to watch her run by a branched bull and a spike at about 60 yards. I gave it about 45 minutes, then climbed the hill to where the cow had been standing, where I found my clean arrow bedded in the hill. Apparently I didn't take the pitch of the hill into account quite enough, and my arrow sailed just over its back into the hill. By that time, the elk had moved off, and I never got back into them before it got hot and they were bedded for the day. I had my chances, but just didn't quite connect. Still an awesome experience - can't beat being in the middle of a herd for two straight hunts. Just wish I had a bit more time to get back in there.

Monday, September 18, Gila Wilderness, New Mexico. After working all week, my wife and I flew down to Arizona on Friday the 15th, then spent the weekend with her Grandma near Tucson (that's the trade I made for using a third of my annual vacation for the hunt in NM). On Monday, I met up with my cousin Mark in Phoenix, and we loaded and took off on the 7 hour drive to our hunting area. We got into camp about 10 pm that night. Our hunting partner Bob got in a day early, so he got to hunt that Monday. We really had no idea what to expect, but we thought there was a decent chance that Bob, who had already decided he was going to shoot the first 5-point he saw (all three of us were new to archery elk), might already be tagged out. Well, when we got to camp and heard the report, it didn't sound good - not much in the way of bugles all day, and he never saw an elk at less than a half mile. His highlight of the day was seeing two bears at less than 150 yards. By the time we got camp set up, it was 1am and we had 4 hours before the alarm went off.

Time to log off. Hopefully I'll have time later this week to give you the good stuff!

Great story so far...when do we get the rest???
i'm dying over here...

Okay, I need some help with my pics. The files are WAY too big...can anyone help out with reducing my file size?